How to build a publishing empire with kindle [part one]

For decades traditional, physical book publishing was an incredibly difficult industry to get into.

Basically, it was a closed shop where unless you had connections or track record, then you would never get a chance, especially when stacked against the existing authors who were getting paid advances to write their next book.

The Internet has changed all that forever.

Specifically, Amazon has changed the rules forever. By developing a powerful online marketplace, they cut costs on traditional books that started to break the monetary power of the existing publishing houses.

They then took on the publishers directly with their revolutionary Kindle ebook reading device.

Although no different to a tablet downloading PDFs in reality, the Kindle has allowed all demographics to quickly download electronic books in the correct format to read perfectly on their single device.

So it's the Kindle that has opened a new publishing door, a door that any one of you reading this can walk through in order to profit from.

In this exclusive series of three articles I'm going to show you exactly how you can build your own publishing empire for Kindle. It's not going to be a simple thing to set up, but if it was simple then everybody would be doing it....and nobody would be profiting.

As with everything in online business, it's about having a strategy to succeed where others simply can't be bothered. But equipped with the information I'm going to give you here, you will be in a great position to start making money really quickly.

The three articles are going to cover the following:

1. We will explore the groundwork needed to setting up your Kindle empire.

2. We will look closely at how you can get books ready for publication and then publish them.

3. I will tell you exactly how you can market your Kindle books for best profit.

What are the advantages of making money through Kindle books?

There are lots of ways you can make money online and some people make big profits doing it.

The problem is that in many of these areas of online business, the learning curve technically especially can be huge and have large cost implications. There are solutions out there, such as my Automated Business System, but if you're looking for something that you can start with that requires no infrastructure and single product development, then Kindle ebook publishing can be a great place to start.

There are five main benefits to producing Kindle ebooks for profit:

1. You only have to do the work once and you can continue to get paid. In the truest sense of the word, once your book is published any income from it is passive income.

2. Publishing books is a great way to build loyal repeat customers. If they like what you write and you keep within the same niche then you can sell multiple books to the same people.

3. There is no physical inventory to manage and you do not need to use anything to process the orders themselves, it's all handled by Amazon.

4. Because it is low-tech, it can be a great entry point into the world of online business.

5. All the key aspects of a Kindle publishing empire strategy can be outsourced in a straightforward manner and at a reasonable cost if necessary.

If you do this right then your new Kindle publishing empire can get as close to that magical “hands free income” that you dream about as is possible.

But I don't want you to think it is effort free. As I said earlier, if it was easy then everybody would be doing it and therefore nobody would profit.

Why choose Kindle rather than another format?

It's a great question that is often asked. There are other choices, but when it comes to being straightforward, the initial set-up of a Kindle product is far easier than simply publishing a PDF on multiple ebook download stores.

But the real answer to the question about why to choose Kindle is simple:

Potential income.

Amazon is the biggest book marketplace in the world. Millions of people who are technically illiterate use Kindle's, making them universally accessible. Those are the reasons why most people choose to publish for Kindle.

Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), is a powerful platform that allows authors to cut out the middleman, the publisher. It also allows you to put your books up for sale directly into the Kindle marketplace, with Amazon getting a percentage fee.

So it is a simple and streamlined process that minimises expenditure and puts your work into the world's biggest electronic book marketplace forever. You don't need a website or any other infrastructure, you just need to learn some marketing tricks to maximise your sales.

Would you like some proof of the success of Kindle publishing?

I have worked with a lot of people to publish Kindle books. This has allowed me to create Kindle publishing products and to become an expert in the process.

Through my experiences I have gained an incredible insight into the world of writing and publishing, including hearing directly from talented and ambitious people who have gone on to realise their passive income dreams.

Here are four quick case studies to show you the types of things I have helped to get into the Kindle marketplace, and which have gone on to be great income streams for the authors:

1. Simple and easy Turkish cooking

This book was produced with a client who had a passion for Turkish cooking. Through our initial due diligence we discovered that Turkish cookery was an opportunity topic in the Kindle marketplace. We created a collection of authentic recipes, accompanied by a great selection of information on general tips around traditional Turkish cooking methods.

2. Elegant garden design

With such a massive readership for this timeless hobby, there are always gaps and opportunities. We spotted an opportunity around creating relaxing settings, so we created a Kindle product that sold the idea of creating lifestyle enhancing gardens.

3. How to seduce your wife or girlfriend

This project was a great example of how finding a topic that meets a very specific need can bring consistent rewards. It doesn't matter what your niche is, there are always opportunities to create Kindle products that address a very, very specific problem, creating a strong urge in that person browsing who has the problem to download the product.

4. Reach your ideal weight and stay lean for life

I just told you about how you can find a product that answers are very specific question. Well this is the exact opposite. Although it is a saturated niche, general guides to health, fitness and weight loss will always attract someone due to the sheer volume of potential buyers. So as well as looking at niche products, having a few general appeal products will allow you to get income in areas where most people don't bother, because they are told to focus on a niche product. The key thing is that although your fist product should be niche, as your experience grows, then so should your reach.

Hopefully those four quick examples of products I have helped to create will give you some food for thought and help to show that no matter what you produce, as long as you are clear on your aim then you can make money through Kindle publishing.

Without a doubt, careful research is the most vital step in creating a great Kindle product.

If you don't take this first step seriously then the product you will create stands a higher chance a disappearing into the mud, along with tens of thousands of other poorly created ebooks.

Detail research will lead you to find something that will appeal to a clearly defined target audience.

Unless you understand that target audience through your research then a Kindle product stands more chance of simply not catching their attention.

You need to research carefully to spot strong needs and desires and then create a product to specifically appeal to those people. There is no point in thinking you know when you don't, just as there is no point in trying to create a market because you think a need exists, when it doesn't.

So the key concept you need to understand from the start is that you are looking to enter a specific target market that you have researched in order to understand it, and have spotted a specific part of that market which is under served.

Just as with other online products, if in doubt, start your research from the point of view of looking for a micro-niche to create an ebook in.

For example, don't write a book about creating great meals if you are unsure and this is your first Kindle ebook. Look deeper into the niche, to try and spot small opportunities. Is there a lack of books covering professional quality pastry creation for example? That is the level you should be drilling down to.

Research from a neutral point of view

It is vital that you do not start the research process with a preconceived opinion on the niche you are researching.

Your research will only be valuable if you have a completely open mind, which will allow you to spot a true opportunity because you are naturally ignoring false opportunities.

Although you may favour certain subjects or industries, this point cannot be reinforced strongly enough, you will jeopardise your publishing future if you think there really is an opportunity where there are actually is not one due to a lack of neutrality on your part.

Brainstorm your first set of Kindle book ideas

A great way of getting started with your first set of ideas is to first drill down into a publishing area that interests you.

Then look for areas of opportunity within those niche topics. When you spot one you need to do some extra research to make sure it is a genuine gap, or under invested area, that can be exploited.

Once you are sure that there really is an opportunity there, then it's time to grab a bit of paper and start dumping your ideas onto it. There is no need to be too rigid about things at this stage, nor should you think too hard, it's all about getting your creativity flowing.

Remember that most of these ideas will be ditched, you are simply undertaking a process to get every possible idea for an ebook out if your brain and onto paper. Importantly, don't think any idea is insignificant at this stage, it could be the one that turns out to be the moneymaker.

Narrow down your big list of ideas

Once you have a list of ideas it's time to see how popular they are. You can do this through doing some standard keyword research.

Use the Google keyword tool to search for your idea and see what keywords come up. This will give you an idea of the exact keywords people are using within the topic and the search volumes. On top of that, it will give you an idea of how competitive paid advertising will be when it comes to marketing.

When you have a good idea of the sort of topics people are interesting, the next step is to head over to Amazon for the next stage of your research.

Using your keywords, do searches on Amazon. This will give you an idea of how many books have been published on the topic, how well they have been received, who wrote them and how much they are selling for.

One piece of gold dust will be the reviews published by purchasers. You can print off the reviews and use them as the basis for creating a better product, by looking at repetitive concerns and criticisms within a niche – then target your book to address them.

When searching, you should look at whether there are Kindle editions of the key books within that niche. If there are several books within the niche you are looking at that have Kindle versions available and these are well received, then it will be tougher than a niche where there are less Kindle editions and where the existing literature is poorly received.

This process can be a pain, but doing this diligently now will help you to come up with an idea that truly stand a chance of filling a gap in the market.

Be ruthless, do not fool yourself into thinking there's an opportunity where the really is not. Your ego will be your worst enemy here. You must look dispassionately at your ideas and rule them in a rout based only on hard evidence.

Hopefully the message is clear, you need to look for opportunities within established markets that still have potential within them. You need to spot these gaps through proper research and narrow down your list of ideas to just one through a proper process of elimination based on facts, not ego or gut feeling.

Are you ready to start your Kindle publishing empire?

That's it for the end of part one. We have covered exactly why you need to be focusing on Kindle format books, sell within the Kindle marketplace.

We have also talked about spotting a niche, coming up with ideas and carefully eliminating those ideas until only one is left standing. Again, it is vital to highlight to you that if no idea was left standing that you walk away and find another niche.

So spend the next week seeking out ideas and investigating niches. Come up with your list and narrow it down to just one great idea that meets a real need.

Once you have a great foundation idea start your Kindle publishing empire from, it will be time to actually get your first book written and published.

And that's where we will be going in part two of this three-part series.

Good luck with your research and I'd love you to comment here to tell me how you're getting on.